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[brianblades]

can someone give me a re-cap of what people (that I generally know) are saying about Ashley, the "pillow angel"?

honestly, it creeps the hell out of me. and I am not sure why. I can see legitimate arguments on both sides. it makes me glad I will not be a father, because decisions like that...I'm not sure I could make.

Comments

[kaccii]

The whole "hormone thing" with it makes me wonder if they would have castrated "him" had she been a boy.

I'm too busy to get into (er, think too hard about) the whole ethics stuff with this right now...I'm actually getting back into (easing back into) my education reform mode.

But, yeah, it creeps me out a bit, too.

[brianblades]

as far as I can tell, the hormone therapy is to effectively halt bone growth. not sure if it's comparable to what testosterone does...no clue at all. one thing I read hinted at the hysterectomy because (and here's one of the many places it starts to creep me out) they fear if she's ever in some sort of assisted care type facility, that she'd be raped.

[imzadi]

From the father's blog:

Additional and incidental benefits [of having the hysterectomy] include avoiding any possibility of pregnancy, which to our astonishment does occur to disabled women who are abused.As he specifically says "incidental", I'd take that to mean the hysterectomy wasn't done because of their fear of abuse. It looks like the primary reason was to "avoid the menstrual cycle and all the bleeding/discomfort/pain/cramps that are so commonly associated with it." As a woman who has suffered through nearly two decades of menstrual cycles, I'd like to point out some of the common disadvantages of having a uterus

[imzadi]

I think there is no great options for Ashley's parents, and this one is better than the alternatives

[imzadi]

bah. ignore my horrendous grammar. :(

[brianblades]

a) and here I thought your boobs were magical and cut into the wind, giving you less resistance.

b) the last sentence pretty much sums it up for me. and I only know a little of what caring for a disabled adult is like. a disable adult with an infant's mind? ghastly to even think of.

[imzadi]

a) Ah ha... I did not realize it before, but I have aero boobs!!! I now have a huge advantage (har har) over those flat-chested women!

b) Agreed... thank goodness for love and caring people.

b2) How about caring for a teenager with with an infant's mind and body? Check this out.

[chrispina]

i'm a little horrified by it, but i can understand their reasons for doing it. surgery can be pretty painful and the recovery can take a long time. i think it would be better if they just did the less invasive and painful things like hormone therapy. hell... i don't even believe in declawing a cat, and i hate cats.

[brianblades]

thanks for sharing. I was wondering what a mother would say...I am not looking for validation or conflict, just..curious as to what others think. plus I value the opinions of people I know more than random strangers. they'll give just about anyone a blog these days.

[chrispina]

weird. i'm working right now and the task that just came up is "ashley treatment" so now i get to go research it.

[brianblades]

yuck. have fun with that? :|